


A Birthday

by bananaquit



Category: Dead Poets Society (1989)
Genre: Anderperry April, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, anderperry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-04
Updated: 2019-04-04
Packaged: 2020-01-04 12:35:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18343811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bananaquit/pseuds/bananaquit
Summary: For Anderperry April, day 3: "reciting poems"





	A Birthday

It was the night of Todd’s birthday and Neil was lying awake thinking. Thinking about the sound of Todd’s laugh, of how badly he wanted to kiss him after he’d thrown the desk set into the darkness. He let out a silent breath, turning his gaze to where Todd had been tossing and turning on the other side of the room. It looked like Neil wasn’t the only one whose thoughts were keeping him awake.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Neil asked quietly. Todd let out a small gasp and jumped a bit when Neil spoke, startled out of his thoughts. “Sorry, did I scare you?” Neil let out an amused huff.

“No, I just… I was just thinking,” Todd replied softly.

“About what?”

“It’s stupid. There’s this… poem… it just reminded me of today, I guess.”

Neil sat up. Of course Todd would be lying awake thinking about poetry. “What poem?”

“You probably wouldn’t know it,” Todd said dismissively.

Neil flicked on the reading light above his bed, spilling a shaft of warm light into the dark room. He rubbed his eyes, then looked to Todd. “Read it to me.”

Todd let out the beginnings of an awkward laugh. “Seriously?”

Neil nodded. “Seriously.” He gave a shrug. “It’s not like either of us were gonna sleep.”

Todd looked at the floor nervously. “I dunno, Neil…”

“If you’re not gonna read at Dead Poets Society meetings, then you have to at least read to me,” said Neil.

Todd gave in with a sigh, pulling a book from a drawer in his desk before padding across the room to sit next to Neil on his bed. Neil looked at the book and saw that it was a collection of women poets from the 1800s to the present. “Keating gave this to me after class that day everyone had to share their poems,” Todd explained. “He said I might like to borrow it.”

Todd flipped through the book until he found the page he was looking for. “ _A Birthday_ by Christina Rossetti,” he began, his voice hushed. 

"My heart is like a singing bird

                  Whose nest is in a water'd shoot;

My heart is like an apple-tree

                  Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit;

My heart is like a rainbow shell

                  That paddles in a halcyon sea;

My heart is gladder than all these

                  Because my love is come to me."

Neil was in love with the sound of Todd's voice, quiet and steady and beautiful. He never wanted Todd to stop.

"Raise me a dais of silk and down;

                  Hang it with vair and purple dyes;

Carve it in doves and pomegranates,

                  And peacocks with a hundred eyes;

Work it in gold and silver grapes,

                  In leaves and silver fleurs-de-lys;

Because the birthday of my life

                  Is come, my love is come to me."

They both sat in silence for a moment after Todd had finished reading the poem. Todd closed the book and stared at the cover, unable to meet Neil's gaze. Neil, meanwhile, was suddenly acutely aware of their close proximity.

"Todd, that's... beautiful," he breathed, his heart racing. He desperately hoped Todd meant what he wanted him to mean. Before his train of thought could continue, it was abruptly derailed as he felt Todd rest his head on his shoulder. 

He immediately leaned his head against Todd's, wanting to show him he enjoyed the contact. Before he could even think about what he was doing, he reached out and placed his hand on top of Todd's. Todd turned his clammy palm to lace their fingers together. Neil gaped, struggling for words. "Todd, I... don't know what to say," he managed.  _I want to kiss you? I love you?_

"Carpe diem," Todd whispered, pressing his lips against Neil's cheek. 

Neil turned to face him. "You missed." He smiled.

Todd hesitated for a moment before he connected their lips in a brief kiss, a smile on his face when he pulled away.

"Happy birthday," said Neil.

They touched foreheads for a moment, grinning, before a beaming Neil fell into Todd's arms.

**Author's Note:**

> please leave a comment if you enjoyed!


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